Is it Possible to Play Sports in College and Get an Education?

Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like.

Email This Story

Send email to this addressEnter Your NameAdd a comment hereVerification

As high school students, some of us dream of playing sports in college. However, this dream may come at a price. The National Collegiate Athletic Association is being sued because two collegiate players believe that playing their college sports came at the price of their education.

The NCAA has long had the mission of providing student athletes the opportunity to continue playing the sport they love, while at the same time getting a quality education. They stress the term “student-athlete” to promote the idea that athletes are going to college not just to play a game, but also to learn. Their mission statement, posted all over the NCAA website, states, “Student-athlete succeed on the field, in the classroom and in life.”

However, Devon Ramsay and Rashanda McCants are suing the NCAA because they believe the NCAA is failing in their mission. Ramsay played football in college and McCants played basketball, both at the University of North Carolina. Together, they have filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and the university saying that they were steered towards meaningless classes in order to accommodate their sports schedules.

The NCAA is supposed to oversee all of this and ensure that the students are receiving the quality education they desire, but Ramsay and McCants strongly believe that the NCAA isn’t doing their job by ensuring that the universities provide student-athletes with an education, something that is so central to their mission.

This information is alarming to many involved in the sporting world. Catalina Foothills High School senior Corinne Belkoff is going to be competing for Arizona State University’s gymnastics team next year and says, “This lawsuit does make me a little nervous because I’m going to college to get an education, not just to do gymnastics. Hopefully the NCAA will fix their errors to ensure that student-athletes are learning in a supportive environment.”

This sentiment is shared by many, especially potential student-athletes. Class action lawsuits take a while to develop because other athletes could get involved, but for now, this case is seen as one that could determine the future of college education.